This type of sensor has the advantage of allowing the position of a mechanical part, or any other element, to be determined without the need for contact with the part whose position it is desired to know. Because of this advantage, there are numerous applications of these sensors in all types of industry. These sensors are also used in consumer applications, for example in the motor vehicle field, in which the present invention was devised. However, the invention may be used in a variety of other different fields.
The operating principle of an inductive sensor is based on the variation of coupling between a primary winding and secondary windings of a transformer operating at high frequency, without the use of a magnetic circuit. The coupling between these windings varies as a function of the position of a moving (electrically) conductive part, usually called a “target”. Currents induced in the target have the effect of modifying the currents induced in the secondary windings. By adapting the configuration of the windings, and given a knowledge of the current injected into the primary winding, the measurement of the current induced in the secondary windings can be used to determine the position of the target.